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David doc Robertson

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  1. It was soooo tempting to name this book something else because the title has been used before in music and literature But Coleman Hawkins' 1939 jazz classic is so prevalent in the story, I thought, WHY NOT? I wrote this while stuck at at home for the last 3.5 years since my 30-year-old handicapped van died on me, and I live in rural USA, seven miles from the closest public transportation. Also, my electric wheelchair wouldn't make it that far. So, I escaped into this world of tragedy and good fortune mixed together, and now I invite you to join me on this journey from Louisiana to California. AND NOW, THE INTRODUCTION OF BODY AND SOUL Adam Daniels was born bi-racial April 9, 1940 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His mother, Renée birthed him in her parents' home where she was born and raised on what is now Orange Street. For Beverly Daniels, having an unwed daughter with a child of questionable heritage, was not the brightest of circumstances at that time. "What's the matter with you?" her husband, Peter, asked after noticing her rare disappointed expression. She led him to their living room so that Renée couldn't hear. "How are we going to explain that baby? She doesn't have a husband, and it looks like he doesn't have a colored bone in his body." Peter smiled and went to the phonograph. "You wait right there." He turned on the machine, and it hummed throughout the room as the tubes warmed up. Then he put on his favorite record, Body and Soul by Coleman Hawkins. He held out his hand, but she refused to go. "Peter, I don't feel like dancing right now." "Woman, get over here," he demanded, and she reluctantly slid into his arms, allowing him to smoothly dance her around the living room rug. "Beverly, after what we've been through, I am grateful that we have a grown daughter and now a grandchild. As far as I'm concerned, this is special." He's right, she thought, and held him tighter. With their tragic past, she realized that Adam was truly a blessing in disguise. "Play it again," she said when the record ended, not wanting the moment to end. Thanks for your time David doc Robertson book available at www.daviddoc.com/books
  2. I want to thank everyone who took advantage of the Kindle give-away last Tuesday. See you on the other side, and GOOD READING! David doc Robertson www.daviddoc.com
  3. Remember that the free Kindle giveaway is today! Thanks for your interest! David doc Robertson www.daviddoc.com
  4. Dear Friends, I would greatly appreciate your consideration to review my novel, a family tree, Taking Root, which was inspired by an actual event (below) and is available at www.daviddoc.com/books . One morning, back in the 90s, I was watching the local news in Los Angeles and heard a story about a woman, gunned down as she walked from her front door to her car to go to work. The police report stated that gang members targeted her for an initiation challenge. The suspect took her purse and, I assumed, left some people without a mother, grandmother, sister, auntie, or friend. I don't know why, but this senseless act stayed with me for a long time, though I could only imagine the misery and turmoil her loved ones suffered. I took it upon myself, however, to let others feel their sense of tragedy in my saga, a family tree, Taking Root, and gave her life a story from my imagination. Virginia is her name in the book, though the story starts with her brother, Roman, looking for a house with his family. In retrospect, the story goes back 12 years to 1963. At 14, Virginia lives in a turbulent household but has her sights set on becoming a civil rights attorney, like her uncle. She also has to keep an eye on Roman, who at 13, gets into a lot of fights. The exciting part or her life, is her Mexican beau, Manuel. Life tests Virginia's strength in her early years when, as a teen bride, she loses her father to the Watts riots, her daughter comes 10 weeks early that New Years, and her Manuel dies in Vietnam. Then, her brother has two babies with different girls before he turns 17. From that point, I follow Virginia's path, which starts with her devotion to her family and community, always putting herself second until she finally remarries and starts her own household until a gang member's random act. My background: Despite a spinal cord injury that confined me to a wheelchair at age 17, I studied English at UCLA and Journalism at USC. I've written for various regional and national publications. I've also taught writing from sixth grade through college level for 28 years. Thank you sincerely for your consideration, and I have scheduled a free Kindle giveaway for next Tuesday, January 14th, or I will gladly send FREE paperback copies to the first five replies to www.daviddoc.com David doc Robertson
  5. Before David doc Robertson wrote Body and Soul, A Year and Forever and others, he wrote a family tree, Taking Root. This novel still achieves its goal to put reader on the pages along with the characters, as evidenced in the newest, totally unsolicited, Amazon five-star review: Loved it!! I laughed, I cried, I mourned, I celebrated! I was a part of this family during their entire journey. I am an AVID reader and this is by far one of the best novels I have read in a very long time. A few words can mean a lot. In the story, brother and sister, Roman and Virginia, listen to their elders but still face heartbreaking and fulfilling experiences in the Watts – Willowbrook area of Los Angeles when colored became black, and folks grew tired of waiting for civil rights, promised over 100 years earlier. During those days of innocence in Los Angeles from the 1960s through the 90s, they take part in the fights of their generation through troubled times and assume responsibility for its mistakes. They later take the place of the folks ahead of them and then face the frustration of being labeled out of date. Through it all, they make their mark in the community. Their legacy makes it through two riots, the Vietnam War, the fight against drugs and gang violence. The story also features the soundtrack of the times to stir the reader's own memories. https://www.amazon.com/Family-Tree-Taking-Root-ebook/dp/B009437ZQ6/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1FDNH5L8RBEDM&keywords=david+doc+robertson&qid=1567379810&s=gateway&sprefix=david+doc+%2Caps%2C948&sr=8-2
  6. Quadriplegic David doc Robertson, author of Body and Soul, posts a new song every birthday as part of his celebration, especially since now he is 24 years past the projected life span after sustaining a crippling football injury in his senior year of high school. In addition to raising his spirits, singing also increases his lung capacity, which has probably prolonged his time here during which he has sworn to enjoy life to the fullest. Writing is his main pursuit, and he hopes that his readers enjoys his latest release, Body and Soul, as much as he did writing it. For this year's song, doc chose a the Nancy Wilson favorite, Save Your Love For Me.
  7. Hi Troy, Thanks a million for the shout out. I do have a website, www.daviddoc.com where everyone can see that I do more than write. I just finished the second season of my cooking show, Kitchen Independence, in which I tool around the kitchen in my electric. wheelchair. Unfortunately it aired only in the Coachella Valley, i.e., Palm Springs and the surrounding area. I hope you and all of the other members are having a good weekend!
  8. David doc Robertson's new book Body and Soul was named for the classic improvised lyrical phrases of the Coleman Hawkins jazz performance of the same name. On the first page of the story, which opens in 1940, Peter Daniels plays the song loud enough to drown out the humming tubes on his living room phonograph and dances with his wife to celebrate the birth of their first and only grandchild, Adam Daniels, the story's protagonist. Right away, Robertson's sensitive description teams with Hawkins' tender jazzy lyricism and allows the reader to see the couple in step and undeterred by improvisation that makes it so seductive. This vision presents the structural purpose of the book, which takes the reader beyond the story and into the novel itself as participants. Doc parallels the ballad by appealing to a body's senses, including smell, taste, etc. "If a character smells fresh bread or falls in love, I want the reader to savor the aroma or experience the emotional sensation." He points out that the novel shares a variety of feelings and reactions, both joyous and painful. Though Adam's birth provides joy for his grandparents, it hurts his mother since her son was born bi-racial in 1940 Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The story descriptively outlines the standards of the time and even takes a look back into the early 1900s. After the look further back in history, the book details Adam's journey into manhood where he starts a family and a career in law. But like Hawkins improvised with unanticipated riffs in his song, Doc improvises Adam's life story in unexpected shifts that changes the setting to El Centro, CA and even into Mexico. Through it all, the story emphasizes the importance of family and the strength one gains from the connections whether through blood or embraced by choice. And like Hawkins' music, it ultimately demonstrates a new way to tell an old story, ending with a sense of glowing satisfaction.
  9. Hi Tanisca, I wish I had seen your post sooner. If it's not too late, I would like to direct you to my website - www.daviddoc.com - where you will find a variety of books, fiction and non-fiction. My latest is Body and Soul, which I titled for the classic improvised lyrical phrases of the 1939 Coleman Hawkins jazz performance of the same name. On the first page of the story, which opens in 1940, Peter Daniels plays the song loud enough to drown out the humming tubes on his living room phonograph and dances with his wife to celebrate the birth of their only grandchild, Adam Daniels, the story's protagonist. Though Adam's birth provides joy for his grandparents, it hurts his mother since her son was born bi-racial in 1940 Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The story descriptively outlines the standards of the time and even takes a look back into the early 1900s. After the look further back in history, the book details Adam's journey into manhood, during which he starts a family and a career in law. But like Hawkins adlibbed with unanticipated riffs in his song, I improvise Adam's life story in unexpected shifts that changes the setting to El Centro, CA and even into Mexico. Through it all, the story emphasizes the importance of family and the strength one gains from the connections whether through blood or embraced by choice. And like Hawkins' music, it ultimately demonstrates a new way to tell an old story, ending with a sense of glowing satisfaction. You can access the book here or through the website above: https://www.amazon.com/Body-Soul-David-doc-Robertson/dp/1791630634/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=david+doc+robertson&qid=1566154026&s=gateway&sr=8-1
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